Gold washing apparatus



M 22, R a MORDEN GOLD WASHING APPARATUS Filed May 29, 1953 Patented ec. 22, 1936 UNlTE TE GOLD WASHEN G APPARATUS Robert Byron Morden, Jefferson, llowa, assignor of one-half to R. Roy Morden, Des Moines,

Iowa

Application May 29, 1933, Serial No. 673,482

1 Claim.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of simple, durable and inexpensive construction for readily, quickly and easily separating materials of heavier specific gravity,

such for instance as gold, from the materials of lighter specific gravity, such as sand and earth, in which particles of gold are found.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this kind of relatively large capacity but which may be operated by hand and without the installation of expensive machinery.

More specifically it is my object to provide an apparatus of this character in which the relatively lighter materials are rapidly separated from the heavier materials and discharged, and then when the remaining materials are near to the same specific gravity, the separation takes place more slowly with the result that substantially none of the heavier particles, such as gold, are washed out with the other materials.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this character which may be readily, quickly and easily tilted to various angles to adapt the apparatus for use in separating widely diirering kinds of materials.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this character in which, when the material to be separated and water in large quantities is introduced into the apparatus, it will be delivered into the apparatus in such manner that none of the material can flow out of the apparatus until it has been subjected to the separating treatment, and in this connection none of this large bulk of material and water intro- ,35 duced into the apparatus will aifect the relatively delicate separation of the materials at the upper end of the apparatus.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention, a portion of the material tank being broken away to show its interior construction.

Figure 2 shows a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of a cylinder and the material conducting chute and water supply pipes in position therein.

Figure 3 shows an end elevation from the lower or discharge end of the cylinder, the material delivering chute being shown in section.

Figure 4 shows a vertical, central, sectional view of a modified form showing a plate at the discharge end.

Figure 5 shows a detail cross sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 2.

My improved apparatus comprises a frame in-' dicated generally by the numeral iii, and in this frame there is supported a hopper H for the material to be treated. Into this hopper is introduced a Water pipe l2 leading from a tank 83 and controlled by the valve [4. Another Water pipe it also leads from the tank It and is controlled by a valve I6.

The separating mechanism comprises a cylinder ll relatively long in proportion to its width, and this cylinder is mounted upon a platform it upon the roller bearings l9, and roller bearings 20 are applied to the lower end of the cylinder to limit downward movement of the cylinder when being rotated.

On the exterior of the cylinder near its central portion is a circular band having cog teeth 2!, and mounted on the platform [8 are the uprights 22 supporting a crank shaft 23 having a small pinion 24 thereon in mesh with the cog teeth 2i, and whereby the cylinder may be manually rotated.

It is desirable in some instances to tilt the cylinder to difierent degrees of elevation at its upper end, and for this purpose I have mounted the platform i9 upon a transverse shaft 25 rotatively mounted in the bearings 26. The upper surface of the bearings 26 is formed with a segmental rack 21 and a lever 28 is fixed to the shaft 25, and provided with a spring actuated pawl 29 to co-operate with the segmental rack 21.

By this means the lever 28 may be grasped and moved in either direction, thereby moving the tilting platform 18 with it, and the tilting platform may be locked in any desired position.

0n the interior of the cylinder I have provided a spiral rib so fixed in position and forming a spiral groove extending from the lower end of the cylinder to the upper end. This rib is of relatively greater width at the lower end or" the cylinder and tapers gradually to the upper end where it is relatively quite narrow, so that the groove formed by the ribs is relatively deep at the lower end of the cylinder and relatively shallow at the upper end.

In addition to this, as is clearly seen in Figure 2, the pitch or inclination of the rib 3G is much steeper at the lower end than at the upper, with the result that the material being treated is moved quite rapidly upwardly during the rotation of the cylinder, and then as it approaches the upper end, and after the relatively large amounts of the lighter materials have been removed from the mass, the material is moved more slowly, and is thereby subjected to the treatment of the agitator and Water spray for a greater length of time.

Leading from the hopper I l is a material discharging chute 3I inclined downwardly and toward the upper end of the cylinder, its discharge end being approximately at the longitudinal center of the cylinder and near the bottom wall of the cylinder.

In practice relatively large quantities of the material to be treated and water are introduced through this chute, and for the purpose of pre venting this material from overflowing or splash ing into the upper end of the cylinder, where the materials are being given their final treatment, I have provided a baffle plate 32 extended transversely across the central portion of the cylinder and supported on arms 33. The circumference of this baffle plate is spaced apart from the interior of the cylinder and from the ribs 30.

At the upper end of the cylinder above the baflie plate 32 the pipe I5 is provided with a nozzle 34 formed with perforations arranged for spraying water downwardly toward the lower wall of the cylinder.

In practice I have constructed an apparatus of this character of relatively small size and light weight so it could be readily and easily transported, and obviously the hopper I I and water tank i3 may be dispensed with and ma terial shoveled into the chute 3| and any convenient means may be adapted for furnishing the necessary water supply.

When the material to be treated, such as gold bearing sand and earth, and water are being discharged into the chute 3|, then the cylinder may be rotated and this material will be contained within the spiral groove between the ribs 30. The heavier particles will rapidly settle to the bottom of the groove, and the lighter particles will be washed over the ribs.

As the cylinder is rotated, the material in the grooves will tend to move upwardly toward the horizontal center of the cylinder on one side, and will then fall by gravity and washed by the water downwardly within the groove toward the bottom wall of the cylinder, and thereby new surfaces of the material will constantly be presented to the action of the water, with the result that the heavier materials will gradually be forced in the bottom of the groove toward the upper end of the cylinder, and the lighter materials will be washed over the ribs toward the lower end of the cylinder.

By providing relatively wide ribs at the lower end of the cylinder, and relatively narrow ribs at the upper end of the cylinder, I have provided an apparatus which will very rapidly perform the initial separation, and then slowly and more delicately perform the final separating operations.

Furthermore, by having the spiral ribs ar ranged at a steeper pitch or inclination at the lower end of the cylinder than at the upper end, this rapid initial separation and relatively slow final separation of the material will be accomplished.

When separating materials such as gold from gold bearing sands or the like, I have found that it is desirable to have the cylinder tilted to about the angle shown in Figure 1, but in the separation of other materials, I have found that it is sometimes desirable to have the upper end of the cylinder considerably higher than that shown in Figure 1, and in other instances I have found that better results are obtained by having the cylinder more nearly in a horizontal plane.

The operator, however, may at all times by observing the operation of the apparatus readily and easily give the cylinder its proper inclination by manipulation of the lever 28.

In treating materials such as sand when it is desired simply to wash the sand to remove lighter particles, I provide a plate 35 having a central opening and located at the lower end of the cylinder, for the purpose of retaining a quantity of water above the sand level.

I claim as my invention:

In a gold washing apparatus the combination of a rotatable cylinder means for supporting it in position with its longitudinal axis inclined from a horizontal plane, a spiral rib fixed to the interior of the cylinder at the lower portion and a spiral rib fixed to the interior of the cylinder at its upper portion the latter rib being of substantially the same diameter at its outer circumference as the first rib and having a pitch substantially less, relative to a line at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder, than the pitch of the first mentioned rib, and said upper rib being of substantially less width than the lower rib, whereby the spaces between two portions of the ribs at the bottom of the cylinder will all be of substantially the same width in a circumferential direction.

ROBERT BYRON MORDEN. 

